• Over N42b lost to inadequacies, lack of master plans in cities
• FG, states neglecting urban, regional planning law
• ‘Master plans are implemented in silos, not harmonised'
• Settlements must be guided by master plan, say experts
• ‘Recent demolition embarrassing to industry professionals'
There are concerns that many Nigerian cities are reeling under the burden of failure to implement urban planning and regional planning laws, thus resulting in chaotic growth, demolition of structures, increased homelessness and slums.
Unprecedented urbanisation has increased demand for essential infrastructure for daily living, resulting in informal settlements where buildings are often constructed without proper setbacks, non-use of professionals, proper design, and planning permits, as well as safety considerations.
The Guardian gathered that inadequacies of infrastructure, haphazard urban planning, and non-compliance to planning, and construction regulations have become the order of the day. The government in the name of expanding infrastructure consistently alters existing physical development plans to the detriment of the residents, who are sometimes at the receiving end of the negative impacts.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its “Nigeria Multidimensional Poverty Index'' said multidimensional poverty is higher in rural areas, where 72 per cent of people are poor, compared to 42 per cent of people in urban areas. The bureau said 70 per cent of Nigeria's population lives in rural areas, yet these areas are home to 80 per cent of poor people.
Currently, there is an alarming urban growth rate of over 4.3 per cent yearly in eight of the cities of Kano, Ibadan, Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Abuja, Kaduna, Onitsha, and Benin City, as many of these cities are projected to become bigger till 2030 .
Cities like Lagos, Ibadan and Kano are witnessing yearly urban growth rates of about 20 per cent which portend a huge challenge for housing demand, while roads, water supply, waste management and electricity are limited, leading to struggle and survival of the fittest.
Amid these issues, the demolition of properties alleged to have either been illegally constructed or erected on drainage channels in cities of Lagos, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Anambra, Kano and Enugu, among others has consistently raised concerns as to the existence and effectiveness of workable physical development plans, which could have forestalled such demolitions.
With the gale of demolitions of properties and businesses worth N100 billion investments in five cities, namely Enugu, Anambra, Lagos, Abuja and Kano in the last one and half years, Nigeria has continued to maintain its rank as one of the countries with the largest numbers of homeless people of about 25 million people.
In 1992, the Federal government of Nigeria promulgated the Nigerian Urban and Regional Planning Law, which became an Act in 2004. The Act guides orderly development at the federal and subnational levels, but the law has not been implemented at the federal and state levels since 1992.
The law specifies location for residential, industrial and infrastructure, recreational and commercial areas, among others, but its implementation has been weak across all levels. Less than 30 per cent of states have domesticated the law due to a lack of political will and vision on its merits.
The non-implementation of the law is attributed to poor funding and insufficient professional personnel. Some experts are of the view that the law was dedicated to the least function of planning; and development control rather than core planning roles such as regional and sub-regional planning, and urban and rural master planning.
Even in locations where the law was domesticated; there has been haphazard implementation.
Industry experts believe that the demolition of houses within the Rights of Way (RoW) in the 700 kilometres Lagos-Calabar highway projects speaks volumes to the non-operation of existing physical plans, which could have prevented people from building in the locations. Properties/businesses worth over N42 billion have been lost to the project.
Also, the public has over the years, apparently shown a lackadaisical attitude to planning, relegated safety rules while building, ignored construction regulations and failed to obtain necessary building approvals.
Similarly, there are concerns about the non-existence of regular upgrades of urban planning, weak enforcement of codes and regulations, lack of inspections, and corruption, which led to substandard construction practices and increased risk of building collapse. Between 1974 and May 30, 2024, Nigeria witnessed about 604 building collapses according to figures from the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG).
First Vice President, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, (NITP), Chime Ogbonna told The Guardian that urban planning has not been given its desired place, and linked the ongoing experience to the refusal to implement existing urban and regional planning law.
He lamented that most cities don't have master plans that prepare the cities ahead of time; hence Nigerians on their own create standards that don't exist, build anyhow due to their political affiliations.
Ogbonna pointed out that corruption plays a vital role in the poor implementation of urban planning. He said what is needed in every location is a master plan to prepare the city ahead of settlement.
He said: “In Abia State, the urban and regional planning law was domesticated during the military era, it is not being implemented anywhere in the state. In Anambra State, the law was promulgated haphazardly. In that state, you have the Chairman of Anambra State Urban Development Authority, but the board has no membership and without membership it becomes difficult for the Chairman to operate. In Enugu, efforts were made in the past, but the law is not domesticated.”
He explained that the attitude towards making laws and implementation of the laws makes a difference between Nigeria and the Western World and expressed worries that some state governments now opted to do what they would have done 50 years ago.
Immediate past president, Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON), Muyiwa Adelu, said the government must learn to implement its plans. He highlighted that while demolition is a function of the economy, a critical question that needs to be answered is when the structures were built up, what were the state regulatory authorities doing?
Adelu said while buildings on drainage channels and the development of structures without obtaining permits were not an ideal situation; the authorities have been docile about illegal structures over the years.
“It is unfortunate that the government will come to a building and declare that it must go down, remove the family and leave them at the mercy of the environment. It is unfair and that is not the Nigeria of our dream. A state like Lagos has a drainage master plan but how many of the residents are aware of it? The majority of our wetlands have been taken over by buildings whereas they are natural buffers designed to control flooding,” he said.
According to him, the government should not take pleasure in destroying people's property or rendering them homeless without alternative shelter, emphasising that the problem is hinged on the absence of harmonisation and implementation of such plans.
He said: “The plans are prepared with the participation of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) by Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development but in the course of implementing it, each will begin to do it in silos without engaging others. That is why physical development plans have not been effective.”
Adelu noted that in cities like Enugu, Owerri, and Port-Harcourt, the government agencies don't invest in plans, while in locations like Abuja, “when the government invests in plans, only foreign firms are engaged to design it, whereas there are competent local professionals, who know their areas better, can do it better and tame future challenges in the city.
“Masterplans are often jettisoned because we are not able to implement them. In other places, they are not even prepared at all. Some cities now rely more on Geographic Information System (GIS) law than physical development plans,” he said.
Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Lagos, Leke Oduwaye, said some of the urban issues have to do with the failure of government agencies to effectively monitor developments at initial stages and implement existing plans and laws.
“Sometimes, you see the Ministry of Environment activities overlapping with the physical planning ministry. Importantly, government agencies must be able to track projects even at the foundation stage and mark for infractions before they are built up. We must deploy technology for monitoring.
“The recent demolition is very embarrassing, particularly to the professionals in the building industry. We are demolishing national wealth whether they belong to individuals or not. It makes people ask questions if professionals really know what they are doing and also throws up ethical issues,” he said.
